Can Vulcans be Believed?

[ray gower]

In the dock tonight We have the long streaks of misery called collectively the Vulcans.

The charge: Being compulsive liars.

Prosecution Opening Statement

Over the years The Vulcans have built a reputation for being boringly bland, incapable of emotion and lieing. Yet we are increasingly seeing that this reputation is based upon a tissue of, if not downright lies, then a thorough dose of being economical with the truth's.
This, I propose, actually makes them more dishonest than the Ferrengi. At least we know they aren't telling the truth!

Just a few exhibits from 40 years of Star Trek!

In Wrath of Khan, Spock explains that Enterprise will take days to repair, whilst in actual fact most repairs were completed within a few hours.

Spock's largest split tongue incident, however, is undoubtedly when he hi-jacks Enterprise to return the crippled Captain Pike to the Menagerie.

In Amok Time (TOS), Spocks betrothed, T'Pring, falsifies an interest in Captain Kirk to provoke combat between Spock and the esteemed Captain to avoid marriage.

In 'The Andorian Incident' (Ent) We have a supposed Vulcan Monastry, that is actually an advanced spy centre, which leads us nicely to a few episodes later where a Vulcan ship mysteriously appears to examine an erstwhile uninteresting ice cube as a pretext for collecting Sub-Commander T'Pol (Breaking the Ice) and again in Cold Front, where Archer convinces a Vulcan Captain to lie to his superiors as to why he has not returned with T'Pol in tow. T'Pol is also heard to suggest she is the Captain of the Enterprise!

Talking of T'Pol- What an excellent example of being phalacious utteration and actions! Not only does she spend a goodly part of 'Strange New World' talking to the wall, but she does it again with Ferrengi Pirates, convincing them that she is a prisoner and fancies him rotten dead: No counting for taste) and again in 'Detained', where she deliberately and falsely explains the niceties of a banquet being prepared, whilst in the full knowledge that Enterprise was a/ jamming the enemies detection system and b/ enroute through forbidden territory to collect Captain Archer. These are just a few of her constant record of deviations.

Nor is Lt-Commander Tuvok immune, afterall he started by masquerading as a Maqui in Voyager, then having changed his mind about leaving Cap'n Kate and Chakotay behind (VOY Resolutions), denying that it was the crew's opinion that had prompted him.

Closing

Whilst many of these individual events is often merely the expeditious bending of the truth, when taken on their own. When taken overall it merely shows the continuous use of miss-truths used by Vulcans and highlights the ultimate lie of all:-
Vulcans deny they suffer emotions, even when they are braining somebody over the head, turning purple in fury, or crying their eye's out. It is NOT the result of an emotion.

If they cannot admit the simple truth:- They are angry, sad, or happy, to themselves. How can they qualify as honest?

Prosecution Rests

Thanks to Status for help in research

 

[Dave]

Supplementary Evidence

Chakotay asked Tuvok about his undercover work in 'State of Flux' VOY. Tuvok responded by claiming that he was true to his own convictions within the parameters of his mission.

At another point Chakotay was losing rather badly to Tuvok at gin, and asked how Tuvok could bluff since bluffing was lying. Tuvok countered that since all parties understood that a bluff was a ruse or misdirection, he wasn't lying.

According to Tuvok in 'Hunters' VOY, Vulcans can lie, but they only do it while under orders from a superior officer.

But then in 'Concerning Flight' VOY, Tuvok told Leonardo DaVinci he was from Scandinavia. Who ordered him to say that? (It is possible Janeway ordered it during the commercial break!)

I also think that all the Vulcans in 'Gambit' TNG are lying on several occasions.

And Lt. Valeris lies all the way through 'The Undiscovered Country' (or was she really a Romulan?)

To be fair, a race that is completely stoic, logical and never lies would be very boring. To make them more human-like and interesting they need to lie occassionally, or to be economical with the truth.

If we go all the way back to where we first here about Vulcans not being able to lie, it's what Spock tells the Romulan Commander in 'The Enterprise Incident' TOS. After he says they don't lie, he then he continues his lie about Kirk being insane, he lies about wanting to defect to the Romulans, and then he lies about the Vulcan Death Grip. So, I think we can assume that he was also lying to the Romulan Commander about not being able to lie too.

In 'A Taste of Armageddon' TOS, Spock told the guard on Eminiar VII, "there is a multilegged creature crawling on your shoulder." There wasn't, so Spock blatently lied.

Of course, Spock is only half Vulcan.... (but Tuvok and T'Pol are not!)

 

[ray gower]

Originally posted by Dave
Supplementary Evidence

To be fair, a race that is completely stoic, logical and never lies would be very boring. To make them more human-like and interesting they need to lie occassionally, or to be economical with the truth.

Also I think very extinct!
But most of us do not go around telling everybody and his dog, they do not lie!

The evidence is becoming overwhelming. Vulcans do and are lieing about everything!

Who voted not guilty?